On October 19, 2019, with joint efforts of the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Georgia Country Office, the United Nations Week was marked in Ushguli as well, together with other cities and municipalities of Georgia. Sabine Machl, UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia and Lela Bakradze, Head of the UNFPA Georgia Country Office attended the planned activities.
There was an exhibition of a photographer Dina Oganova opened at Ushguli school at 14:30, showcasing two photo projects: “Girls from the Future” and “Peers for Equality”. The photo project “Girls from the Future” combines photos with texts to tell stories of girls aged 10 to 16 living in various cities and villages of Georgia. The project aims at highlighting to the public that the full realization of girls’ potential, creation of equal conditions and equitable environment for them, and access to health and education play a crucial role for the prosperity and development of every country, that every girl should be given an opportunity to complete her education and make informed decisions about her life and health. “Peers for Equality” tells stories of 12 youth. Within the framework of the photo project, they are talking about the gender equality, healthy lifestyle, reproductive health, education, activism and their own initiatives. Both photo projects were supported by the UNFPA Georgia Country Office, and it is a part of a widescale advocacy work, which UNFPA is carrying out for eliminating the harmful practice of early marriage and promoting reproductive health and rights of adolescents and youth.
Later during the day, in cooperation with the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, “Equality Corner” was opened at the Ushguli library. The Equality Corner will enable the youth in Ushguli to raise awareness on equality with the help of contemporary fiction. Giorgi Kekelidze, a writer and a director of the National Library of Georgia opened the Equality Corner. Within the framework of the event, Giorgi Kekelidze delivered a public lecture on the idea of gender equality and its significance.
Opening the Equality Corner aims at supporting the realization of potential of adolescents and youth. Authors of the initiative consider that it is of utmost importance to have as much space as possible in Georgia, where the adolescents and youth will be able to get informal education, enjoy meaningful free time and share ideas among themselves.
The events were held within the framework of UN Week, in cooperation with the Ushguli local government (Gamgeoba).
